Jupiter - Brian May

Chapter Ten: Just Tell Her

"Thank you, my loves, for a wonderful night! See you next time!" Lillie called out to the cheering crowd, lifting the electric guitar in triumph as she grinned.

The whole night had been something else. Lillie couldn't remember another time playing where she felt so alive, as if she was on top of the world. In reality it was nothing, a gig in a pub function room full of students and young graduates. It was nothing, in the grand scheme of things, and there were a lot of musicians out there who experienced concerts on a whole different scale to that, but as Lillie looked out at the excited crowd, she couldn't help but think that maybe it was just the beginning.

Lillie usually didn't like to look out to the crowd, it reminded her of how everyone in the room was watching her, and that often put her on edge slightly. That night though, she couldn't help it, revelling in how happy everyone seemed. There was one place her gaze seemed to drift to in particular though, and that was the table in the back corner, out of the way from the attention of everyone else, where Queen were sat. The fact that they were watching her still terrified her, no amount of hang outs and jam sessions had gotten her over the nerves of playing in front of them, but if anything, the fear was making her play better.

The one thing urging her on throughout the whole night, however, wasn't the happiness of the crowd, or the thought of her friends in the back. No, it was the sight of Brian, grinning at her from right at the back of the room, watching her as if she was the best singer on earth, and not some wannabe. The lights normally made it quite hard to see out very far, but as if by magic, Brian stood out to her over everything else. It was as if he was the only person in the room, the only one who mattered. She wasn't quite sure if it was because of the fresh memories of the kiss, still playing through her mind, or if it was because she was playing music he helped her write on a guitar he'd lent her, either way, it was like she was trying to impress him, trying to make him like her more.

And it was working. Brian was blown away by her performance, considering it was even better than the last one. She'd grown so much as a musician in such a short space of time, and as she finished her set, beaming as if she'd just played to millions rather than just under a hundred people, Brian couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride. He was proud of her, and he cared about her the more time he spent with her. He wasn't sure when he'd next get to kiss her or hold her like he had done before, but that didn't matter, just being around her was enough, as his endearment grew more and more.

After a few moments on stage, Brian watched as Lillie leapt off the platform, and he was in awe of how graceful she seemed to be, managing to not even stumble in her high shoes. Guitar still in hand, she went straight to the bar, where Mick handed her a pint. She was grinning, her smile seeming to grow as the alcohol was handed to her, and then her gaze drifted to the far side of the room, where they were all sat, waiting for her. Upon meeting his eye, Lillie winked at Brian, before weaving in and out of the crowd to get to her friends.

Brian wanted to hug her as soon as she got over to them, and Lillie couldn't wait to be near him again, but as soon as she got close to the group she was practically tackled by someone else, and it took her a second to realise that someone else was John. The bassist was ruffling her hair and shouting approvals to her, but Lillie couldn't quite pay attention to him, struggling to take it all in.

"Deacy!" She exclaimed eventually, snorting with laughter. "Get off me, soppy bugger!"

"Sorry, I can't help it, I'm just so proud of you!" he cheered, making her flush bright red. "The crowd loved you, you were amazing!"

"The whole time he kept hitting my arm shouting 'that's my best friend!'" Roger called to her, holding his pint glass up as he watched the two friends with a small smirk. "You were bloody brilliant, though, better than our last support artist,"